Statement from Nathan Cullen on recommendation of the Joint Review Panel for Enbridge Northern Gateway

Today’s recommendation from the Joint Review Panel for the Northern Gateway project is an insult to the people of British Columbia, and an affront to our environment and our way of life. In the face of mountains of evidence and testimony debunking the viability of this project and its proponent, today’s verdict reflects the Harper government’s ongoing race to the bottom on resource development, meaningful consultation and environmental protection.

The panel received over 9,000 letters of comment and heard over 1,000 oral testimonies almost universally in opposition to the project. They heard the 71-strong coalition of First Nations, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and the province of British Columbia state their strong opposition to the project. They heard the evidence and the history. And yet it’s clear they only actually listened to one voice in this process: the oil company's.

Northern Gateway would push diluted bitumen through the Great Bear Rainforest and across 800 rivers and streams, including two of British Columbia’s largest salmon watersheds. Supertankers would ply some of the most dangerous waterways, in some of the most sensitive habitats, in the world. It would compromise the fisheries and ecotourism industries that much of our provincial economy relies upon.

Enbridge’s track record speaks for itself. They’ve been responsible for over 800 oil spills since 1999. As recently as May 2013, the company was cited for safety violations at 93% of its pumping stations across Canada. Enbridge has struggled during their $1 billion and three-year struggle to clean up their spill in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, a disaster that came as a result of willing and direct negligence and incompetence.

For the people of northwestern British Columbia, the tragedy of the Kalamazoo River spill is Exhibit A. We watched it unfold at the same time as the Northern Gateway review, where Enbridge’s well-paid representatives held up laboratory-bound studies contradicting what we were seeing happen in the real world. To this day, Enbridge has yet to explain how they would be any better off responding to the disaster of a bitumen spill in the rolling rivers of northern British Columbia when they failed at that same task in the tame waters of the Kalamazoo. And the Joint Review Panel has failed to hold them to account for that.

British Columbians have long wondered what reason they have to trust Enbridge.

But given today’s decision from the Joint Review Panel, British Columbians and Canadians in general are asking what reason they have to trust the Conservative government.

As each piece of the Northern Gateway process has unfolded, the Harper government has tried to instill upon Canadians that this is the new normal. The Joint Review Panel’s decision is just another step along that path to a Canada where there is no longer any room for respecting the will of communities and First Nations. Nothing will stand in the way of a pipeline, no matter the economic and environmental risks in Mr. Harper's world. Thankfully that isn't the world occupied by the majority of Canadians.

We have no intention of letting our rivers, our coast and our communities become Enbridge’s next victim. We’ll continue to refuse Mr. Harper’s vision for Canada as a northern petrostate with no respect for its citizens or the environment. The people of northwestern British Columbia believe in a positive economic future for our region and one that doesn’t include sacrificing who we are and where we live.

Just making sure...

Comment by Amy on 20th December 2013Christian, your comment is meant to convey humorous sarcasm?

I wouldn't blame you if it wasn't though. 2000 years of indoc and meme is difficult to pull free from.

Bring it on

Comment by Christian Wright on 20th December 2013I think this is a good thing. We will have direct good paying jobs at the Kitimat terminal, but also new jobs related to tis industry, I did not bother to learn to much as the Bible clearly states that Man will have dominion over every living thing. Besides, when the rapture happens within the next generation, it won't matter what state we leave the planet in.

Pipeline may already be under construction

Comment by Floyd Breker on 19th December 2013I may be putting myself out on a limb here, but who is to say that Enbridge is not already in the beginning stages of the sludge pipe dream, aka - harper's wet dream. I have seen huge lay down areas when on flights about 25 kms north of Kitimat. Are these strictly for the LNG line, or is something else going on? Possibly related, how does Rio Tinto have the authority to completely close off Alcan Beach. Next thing you know, the multi nationals will close Douglas Channel to all traffic but what they approve. After all, they own the oceans now don't they?

Totally agree

Comment by Floyd Breker on 19th December 2013I have not followed the goings on of the JRP too closely, but it was obvious from the get go that it was going to be a complete whitewash. The demagogue harper just has to go - if not, the full blown Nazi tactics to push through these so called projects will be beyond anything we have ever seen on our soil. We need a leader who will not rubber stamp the final sell out of Canada.